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| Breaching Human Rights! |
Of course the High Court agrees with the NSS that prayers are an 'inappropriate ritual that breach articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights'. I used to think that human rights were about important issues, like not buying and selling people, or massacring people by the million, or fighting for peoples' religious freedom, not about stopping a quick Our Father or Hail Mary before a meeting. That's a thought, remember the days when we actually fought for people in totalitarian states to have religious freedom? Well now, we are the oppressed under our glorious, enlightened liberal democracy. It seems that prayers are also illegal under section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972.
I've an easy solution for a prick like Bone, don't say the prayer if you don't believe. If I was in a meeting that was preceeded by muslim prayers, I would just sit there quietly and not join in. But I would respect the rights of the others in attendance to say whatever prayers they see fit. Shame that fascists like Bone and the NSS don't have any tolerance of things that they do not believe in.
15 comments:
Your report is wrong.
The judge ruled that no human rights laws were broken. He ruled, instead, that the prayers during meetings were ultra vires.
Funny how you know better than just about every single news organisation in the world. Are you actually God?
bone is a complete arsehole i would have voted for that cat who was in the monster raving loony party
Arsehole indeed. And he obviously didn't give a toss about his local community to resign over a bloody prayer.
There's something very strange about the hatred that the NSS and associated atheists have for religion (and Christianity particularly).
Could it be they are afraid of something?
Reminds me of school, where all the non-believers could sit out assembly. Surely they could just leave the room while religious business was done, then walk back in to discuss keep left signs etc...
I won't pretend not to find it a tad unusual that some bright spark decided to have a prayer at council meetings in the first place though. Very odd stuff...
Sorry Greg,
Anonymous is quite correct.
Mr Justice Ouseley said: "A local authority has no power under section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972, or otherwise, to hold prayers as part of a formal local authority meeting, or to summon councillors to such a meeting at which prayers are on the agenda."
The very narrow judgment was not about banning prayers per se, but about banning prayers when they form part of the published agenda of the council meeting. Council's are still free to pray whatever they want before or after council meetings. What they are not permitted to do is make them a formal part of council business.
Which to me is eminently sensible and. Prayers have no place in official council meetings. Neither Christian, Muslim or any other faith prayers. That's the law. It's as simple as that.
Regards
I know that Richard, but but we all know what the reality is. The NSS action was aimed at banning prayers and that is effectively what they have achieved. Anything else is just playing with words in my humble opinion.
I don't feel strongly about it, certainly there were no prayers when I was a councillor. I'm just sick and tired of people wanting things others do, that they don't believe in, banned.
Sorry Geg,
At the risk of prolonging this you are again mistaken when you say '..The NSS was aimed at banning prayers.' They were not.
Just read their web site:
"The NSS is not seeking to deprive those who wish to pray the opportunity to do so; indeed, we fight to retain freedom of religion and belief. The judgement clearly states that religious freedoms are not hindered, as councillors who wish to do so are free to say prayers before council meetings".
This all seems perfectly sensible and reasonable to me. As I said, it doesn't prevent those who want prayers before attending a council meeting to meet for two or three minutes in quiet session before the meeting.
It also seems to me eminently sensible, for all the obvious reasons that I'm sure I don't need to expound, that religion or any faith should not form any part of any official business conducted in the public space.
Regards
I see absolutely no reason why prayers should not be allowed at council meetings in a country that is at least nominally christian. HOW DOES IT ACTUALLY HARM ANYBODY?
I suppose the problem occurs when you have a council in certain towns made up of a particularly large ethnic minority contingent.
Do we have a series of prayers as the first five items on the agenda?
Or just apply a bit of common sense, allow anyone who wants to pray to whichever god they choose to do so, while atheists and non-believers grab a quick smoke or whatever (assuming that isn't also banned anytime soon).
The notions of give and take, and sensible compromise, appear to have left our public space completely. Everything now seems to be about territory and taking up positions, with the PC tendency almost always firing the first shot.
I agree Daz, a bit of commonsense. Don't ban, negotiate. It would be nice to think that councillors had enough sense to come to an amicable agreement, rather than resorting to law. But we know differently don't we?
I'm happy, as a left-footer, to live in a state where 'one of us' could never be on the throne, that's life. I don't care whether prayers are said before meetings or not. Why resort to law was my point.
Just seen a rapper saying a prayer for Whitney Houston at the Grammys.
I'm sure the NSS will now condemn the Grammys and demand compensation for all those offended atheists in the audience.
I saw that Peter. Ironic eh? I trust there was a member of the NSS on the door getting all those entering to sign that they agreed to being forced to share a room with people who would be praying in public.
Things such as these are foretold in the Bible; a book that has been under attack for hundreds of years. We are living in the last "of" the last days; and things like this will get worse unfortunately.
There is a group of individuals who control the world and want the Bible, Christianity, freedoms of the people (like praying in public) and any talk of the most vile sins being commited today( and condemned) gone!
In some countries today, condemning homosexuality, race mixing, and other things are hate speech and or hate crimes!; this is how far our society has gone down the tubes. There IS a hell, unfortunately the many millions who are there now didn't realize it until they died and it became a reality. All these idiots had to do was real the Word of God.
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